Step 1: What you'll need...

Step 2: Firstly you will need a hard drive.

Hard drives can be found most everywhere. In Australia we have things called council cleanups where many people chuck out old computers.

For those who don't live in australia there might be a similar thing in your area or freecycle.org is always helpful.

When you get a DESKTOP (only) computer it is pretty straight forward in taking off the case and unscrewing to get out the hard drive. My trusty set of screwdrivers worked well for this purpose.

Sorry, forgot to take pics of me taking out of the computer.

Step 3: My trusty screwdriver set...

I have had this set for a long time...

It has a bit of a story to it. Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to hear my ramblings...

Along time ago I went to bunnings to find a cheap bargain... I do that often! I talked to my friend, the forensic expert, and he got out this set of philips heads, the straight heads, torx heads and some other type of heads.It cost me $6... Good deals at bunnings.

Well anyway you will most likely need a torx set of screwdrivers as well as philips heads.Torx screwdrivers are used for taking apart the insides of computers... Not the computers themselves but hard drives etc.

Don' freak out if you don't need a set and you have bought one. I can guarantee that if you take apart 4 hard drives at least one of them will need torx screwdriers.

Step 4: Starting work on the hard drive.

Get out your hard drive and rip of all of the stickers. Undo all of the screws that you see and take the cover off.

I was doing this today and found the perfect method for removing the magnet from the metal plate it is attached to, without doing any damage to the magnet. Simply use the claw end of a claw hammer. slide the metal bracket the magnet is attached to into the claw,( keeping clear of the actual magnet itself) then apply pressure to the opposite end of the metal plate to bend the plate backwards. This creates a large gap under the magnet (and breaks any adhesive used to attach it to the plate) then you just slide the magnet off the plate. Works like a charm and nobody gets hurt. :)

In removing the magnet, I just use pliers and hammer. Using this tools, just bend the tip of the plate (not at the middle because there is a probability that you break the magnet). After bending and discover some opening, insert screw driver and flip it off to break the attachment that binds the magnet and the plate. Done! But make sure not to break the magnet. Do it wisely and patiently.

I work in IT we just replaced about 300 computers, me and a co-worker pulled all drives (for security reasons) and been doing this for the past month. NOTE: we have a lot of down time with nothing to do :-)

I tried Dthomas's method of removing the magnet with a claw hammer-it worked like a charm-very quick.i also put one end , very carefully- in a tabletop vise-much easier for a female who isnt quite as strong.

if you have one magnet that is on a purely flat piece of metal, grip the metal in a vice, and use a pliers to bend the admittedly pretty heavy duty metal, away from the magnet, until you can slide something thin under one end of the magnet - a knife blade, razor blade, or bending far enough, screwdriver.

HOWEVER when you pry it off, I find maybe 20-30% of the time, the nickle plating comes off, leaving the raw magnet under that area.

NOW, if you have one side of the 2 magnets whose metal bracket has lots of bends (bent up sections) you may be able to drop it on a cement floor or sidewalk in such a way as the G force of stopping suddenly, pops the magnet off. This has worked several times for me.

THE REAL QUESTION IS: What SOLVENT, if any, will gently remove the magnets? It might work best (if there is one) to have bent the metal to expose more of the underside to the solvent.

I have MEK, Lacquer thinner, and could buy some "super glue remover", and try them - if anyone has some try it and post back.

Hi! I realized the great magnets in old hard drives because I take them apart to sell the aluminum. The body of a hard drive is a solid block of aluminum. Not cast. The magnets are a great perk. After I remove anything not aluminum (which is not very much) I put it in a box with others then bring them to the scrap metal place. Usually get around .80 and up per lbs.

Great work john! I've been looking for something just like this bravo! For the people that are still having a hard time opening or disassembling their hard drive here is an easy to follow image that you should check out. It helped me out too.

Agree. Was looking for instructions on how to remove the magnet from the housing / brace it's attached to. This is an unfinished instructable without that critical info because it completely mutes magnetivity on the flat side of the magnet and the side that is magnetic has 1/4 " standoffs that make it useless for many applications because they get in the way. It seems fiercely attached to this. What method do you (or did you?) use to remove this thing??

well i couldnt find any screw drivers that were the rite kind for my hard drive soooooooo i grabbed a hatchet and started hacking. Two cuts, 3 slashes in my carpet, and 45 minutes later i have my rare earth magnets!

Wouldn't an electro-magnet be able to push it off? I say electro-magnet because you may need to reverse the polarity. the idea is to put it behind the casing and turn on the electro-magnet, if the magnet doesn't pop off, reverse the polarity.

I have been lucky with an X-ACTO knife. Some magnet brackets have 2 threaded holes that are right under each pole of the magnet. Then carefully using the drives machine screws and the xacto knife, I break the bond... eventually getting a slotted screwdriver blade under it. I only broke one... and from then on, I've gotten the "Feel" of it..

Im in Aus to hard rubbish is on now ive seen a few computers around but i dont want to hang around to long getting the hard drives out because they made it illegal to take stuff. but i might give it a shot. cool instructable

A better way to do this is to put the magnet with the casing in a vice and use a pair of pliers or vice grips to bend away the back casing. This will usually make the magnet come off the backing in one corner. You can then simply pull it off if you've got enough separation. If not, you can use a flat head screw driver to get under the magnet and gently pry it off.

I've been doing this for years because the magnets are so strong. I even use them to hold a christmas wreath on my front window (they'll work thru glass). But watch it, they're strong enough that the force of two of them coming together might break whatever's in between them, like your finger or window. I put a piece of felt between mine and the window.